Lee Jun-seok, “President Yoon Seems to Think He’s Suffering Because of Lee Jun-seok and the Party When He Himself Is Brilliant”

Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party. National Assembly press photographers

Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party (PPP), spoke on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s controversial intervention in party affairs and said, “The president’s world view continues to flow along with the thought, ‘I’m such a brilliant man, but it’s obvious we’ll lose in the election because of Lee Jun-seok, and I’m struggling from low approval ratings because the party is not supporting me.’”

On February 7, Lee Jun-seok appeared on JTBC and when asked his thoughts on why “Yoon’s intentions” were intervening in the party convention, he said, “When we look at the president, ever since he was a presidential candidate, his actions expressed the idea, ‘I think I’m going to die if he stands there, so I have to kill him.’”

The former PPP leader also said, “The president has begun making individual evaluations of the people running in the party convention as a way to express his view of the candidates,” and added, “We have decided to call this ‘intervention in party affairs.’” He continued and said, “Among past presidents, the cautious presidents were very careful because they thought any mention of the (party leader) candidate could be getting involved in party affairs. Even President Park Geun-hye, she did not say, ‘I will leave the party if Kim Moo-sung wins,’ when he raced against Suh Chung-won (for party leader).”

As for party leader candidate Kim Gi-hyeon, Lee said, “Kim Gi-hyeon suddenly sprang up and went around telling people, ‘One way or the other, the party leader is going to be Kim Gi-hyeon.’” He added, “Back then I also said, ‘No matter how fast a shrimp grows, in the end, it will only be a fat shrimp. It won’t be upgraded into a whale.’”